Ba’ath conference wraps up [Archives:2003/03/Local News]

BY MOHAMMED BIN SALLAM
YEMEN TIMES STAFF
Under the motto, “Jerusalem is the Nation’s Jihad Link and its Civilized Revival,” the Arab Baath Socialist Party held its third conference in Sana’a Thursday, calling for the rejection of acts of sabotage and terror and fighting attempts aimed at destabilizing Yemen’s security.
A speech delivered by the Secretary of the Ba’ath Party, Dr. Qasem Sallam centered on the Palestinian issue after holding several extensive meetings related to the national, regional and international issues.
Around 1,200 Ba’ath members and more than 3200 citizens from various governorates attended in the conference.
The party has issued at the closing session a statement of decisions and instructions, along with the party’s attitude towards those issues.
At the national level, the statement deals with local issues describing them as, “tragic”.
The statement called for mustering efforts to reform the economic and development program. It also called for enlarging the domestic production base and protection of Yemeni domestic agricultural and industrial production.
The statement emphasized on defending Yemen’s unity and the freedom of Yemen’s independence and its national sovereignty.
The statement focused on struggle and persistence to enhance the state of order and law and to consolidate the peaceful transfer of power.
The Ba’ath Party has called for encountering ethnic and clannish fanaticism, sectarianism, and settling disputes through constructive dialogue and peaceful democratic means.
At the regional level the Ba’ath Party has called on all the political parties and mass organizations to shoulder their responsibility for performing their role throughout all Arab countries to encounter the probable US-led war against Iraq.
The statement has called for adopting a nationwide campaign for boycotting British, Jewish and American goods.
It has further called for activating the role of the Arab Joint Defense Pact and the Arab League Charter and called for lifting the embargo imposed on Iraq.
The statement has called for activating dialogue between the national movements and Islamic movements within the Arab region for establishing links among nations.
“There should be a clear definition for Jihad, considering it as a right to defend its rights and sovereignty. It is the right that is ensured and guaranteed by the international charters and legislation.
Leaders and representatives of Arab political parties and organizations who had taken part in the conference had confirmed their rejection of the American-British aggression on Iraq and condemned the Zionist crimes against their Palestinian brethren. They demanded the Arab League and Arab regimes to perform their roles in confronting the American-British-Zionist attack against Iraq and Palestine.
At the international level, participants demanded the rejection of uni-pole dominance.
Dr. Qasem Sallam has been re-elected as a secretary for the Ba’ath Party in Yemen and Mr. Abdulwahed Howash, as a deputy security.
In addition to this, 10 Ba’ath Party members were elected as members of Yemen leadership of the party.

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